Season 1

Synopsis

Ryutaro Asada, a renegade but brilliant surgeon, was being framed for a misdiagnosis and let go by the North Japanese Hospital. He went into exile and lived in a seaside shack when he was visited by Akira Kato, assistant professor of the Faculty of Cardiac Surgery at Meishin University Medical Hospital.

Despite being a female doctor, Akira managed to become an assistant professor. She was ambitious and set her goal to be promoted to full professor by succeeding in a surgery using the Batista technique — an extremely difficult type of heart surgery — and to write a paper on it. A year ago, Akira witnessed Ryutaro's skills when he was an NGO doctor and was impressed enough to seek his assistance in the Batista technique.

This drama exposed the difficulties encountered in the rigid Japanese medical professions in treating patients whereby decisions made were based more on protecting the hospitals than the patients.

Season 2

Synopsis

In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan's medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren't independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region - issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable. -- jade_frost